Ella's Refugee
by Katie26
Summary: A stranger comes to camp. Who is he? What does he want? (None of the stuff in this story belongs to me, only the plot and the stranger. The creator of Ella is Magaret Peterson Haddix.)
1. Introduction

Disclaimer: I do not own Ella, Jed, ECT. They belong to Margaret Peterson Haddix. Also, the refugee camp and the other places and such things do not belong to me.  
  
Please Read and Review (If you haven't read the book, don't bother reading this.)  
  
Ella's Refugee  
  
No, the Sualan War wasn't over. Yes, I was happy. Or was I? Maybe I needed more in my life. Jed had still not returned to the refugee camp, and I missed him terribly. I worked hard everyday, trying to keep the camp running. There was little money left in the little metal box in the secret compartment in Jed's room. We needed some money from the King, and I didn't think we were going to get it anytime in the near future. The refugees were losing spirit. Someone had to stop the Sualan War and give these people back their lives. 


	2. Who?

Who?  
  
I sighed and put down the rags I was trying to mend back into a dress. Mrs. Smeal was outside, delivering blankets, in her over-cheerful mood. My worn brown dress I had finished sewing only two days ago looked like it was over fifty years old, but everyone had to make do with what they had. More refugees were pouring in everyday, many with sunken eyes and vacant expressions. Those were the people who had lost a family member or a dear friend. One woman I was trying to cure of a fever cried out in her sleep about how her dead husband was coming to get her and bring her home to his farm far away from the Sualan border. Two days later, he did indeed come to take her home, but not the same way she had been raving about.  
  
"Ella," said Mrs. Smeal has she poked her head through the door, "Someone is here to see you. He won't talk to anybody but you." I was very confused, and was a little bit frightened that it might be one of the king's men coming back to get me. "Don't be frightened by his appearance, dear," Mrs. Smeal said kindly, "He has very good manners." This increased my suspicions about him being a knight or other noble person. I stepped outside of the building and into the bright sunshine of a hot, sticky summer's day. I was greeted by a man clothed in black robes and a mask. "Good afternoon, miss. I was hoping you could answer a few questions for me." 


	3. Refusing to Cooperate

Refusing to Cooperate  
  
"Good afternoon, miss. I was hoping you could answer a few questions for me."  
  
I stood frozen in place. Did he suspect me of being the lost princess? I thought they gave up looking for me! However, I pretended that his words did not affect me and continued to look calm.  
  
"I will help in any way I can," I said, although if he asked any question that had an answer I did not wish to reveal, I was prepared to act dumb.  
  
"Good. That will make things much easier." He pulled out a scroll with script and diagrams that covered every square inch of the paper. "By order of the King, the refugees of this camp are to be moved to a new place. This specific location is currently being designed and built for the use of the current expatriates. The current person(s) who run this facility will continue to run the refugee camp, as well as the new soldier facilities that are to be built in the former refugee camp location."  
  
To say the least, I was speechless. My first reaction was complete shock and then can the fury. I could feel my blood boiling and my face heating up. I took a deep, calming breath and faced this man who would not show me his face.  
  
"There must be some mistake. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but this refugee camp is being held up by me and my future husband's own money," I said, still taking steadying breaths. This was Jed's camp, and I wasn't about to hand it over!  
  
"I'm sure this must be hard for you, but as I said, I have some questions for you. First of all." But before he could finish, I interrupted.  
  
"No! I'm not finished!" I wanted to grab a fist full of the mud that sat nearby and throw it in this. this outsider's face. A crowd was starting to gather around me and the cloaked man. "This is a refugee camp! We help the people who did not participate in the fighting, not those who support it! Isn't ending the war more important?"  
  
"I'm sorry, miss, there isn't anything I can do." He said, but looked down at his scroll again, "Now, as I was saying... What is you father and mothers name?"  
  
"How does this have anything to do with this refugee camp?" I asked, my fury replaced with puzzlement.  
  
The stranger seemed to smirk at me from behind the mask. "Everything," was all he said. 


End file.
